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Improving Arsenal’s Defense Cannot Be Lost In The Shuffle
Since Arsenal have only brought in one outfield player in the last two transfer windows, strengthening midfield and attack is very important. However Arsenal badly need to improve their defense as well.
Much has been made of Arsenal’s lack of offensive power and midfield continuity. The Gunners have found themselves seriously lacking in the goals department and currently the worse goal differential in the Premier League’s current top four teams. Furthermore since Santi Carzola went down with a knee injury back at the aft end of the 2015, Arsenal’s midfield has largely been ineffective.
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The emergence of the new partnership between Mohammed Elneny and Francis Coquelin has drummed up some semblance of continuity, but Arsenal will surely be in the market for a top quality midfielder. With the likes of Tomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta all set to depart the Emirates in the summer, Arsene Wenger will be forced into investing funds into his midfield corps.
Arsenal have already made a first overture into signing Bundesliga star Granit Xhaka for around £24 million. The arrival of Xhaka would be welcomed. Although Arsenal have a strong midfield pairing in Elneny and Coquelin, the Gunners need to strengthen their midfield depth. Elneny is a box-to-box midfielder whose tireless work rate makes him a perfect candidate to play alongside Coquelin.
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I am not completely convinced that he is a great fit as a holding midfielder. Furthermore with the departure of elder statesmen Arteta and Flamini, Arsenal will need to bring in at least one more player who can replicate those defensive qualities.
Arsenal’s need for attacking recruits is well established. Theo Walcott’s time as a starting striker should probably be at an end now. This was an experiment that burned brightly at the beginning of this season but has clearly waned dramatically.
Danny Welbeck has given Arsenal a new and exciting dimension and Olivier Giroud has pitched in a very solid 20 goals in all competitions. However neither one of these players can be viewed as the center forward who can hoist Arsenal to the promise land on their own. So a player of similar caliber who can at least share the burden with Giroud and Welbeck is certainly needed.
Despite all of this. Despite the fact that Arsenal clearly have their work cut out for them when it comes to signing new midfielders and forwards. The crux of the team’s weakness is still at the back.
Let’s be honest. Gabriel Paulista has not exactly developed the way many of us would have liked this season. There is still a lot of room for improvement and while he is statistically on the right track, it seems that the Brazilian still needs to add far more savvy to his game.
Against West Ham, Gabriel was guilty of some suspect positioning. His inability to contain Andy Carroll in the air was evident. This hasn’t just been a one game anomaly. Gabriel has been exposed one too many times this season. His role in the starting XI really comes down to the decline of Per Mertesacker and the inexperience of Calum Chambers.
I love Gabriel’s grit and determination, but he really doesn’t bring that much to this team in the way of physicality or aerial prowess. He also has a propensity to get turned in his defensive third far too easily like he was against West Ham for their second goal. There was also a moment when Gabriel was completely bounced by West Ham’s diminutive play maker Dimitri Payet, which calls into question his strength.
I’m not calling for a Gabriel to be sold, but Arsenal must look to strengthen at center back in the summer. Laurent Koscielny is a world class center-half but there have been times this season when he has not looked quite himself also. Furthermore he is on the wrong side of 30 and the Gunners need to seriously be looking for his successor. Mertesacker is a fine option to have coming off the bench for the next few years to give the team some depth and senior leadership, but Arsenal need to look forward for a solution, not back.
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No one has any idea where Calum Chambers will end up playing on the pitch for Arsenal if he ever does break into the starting XI, so Gabriel needs a direct competitor. The Gunners need a center back of comparable age and experience to Gabriel who will rival him for that place alongside Koscielny and hopefully bring the very best out of him.
Finally there is latent conundrum of our full back situation. As it stands Nacho Monreal and Hector Bellerin are fantastic options to have at left and right back respectively. However there are some serious question marks after those two players. Mathieu Debuchy should formally cut ties with the team in the summer. Arsenal should look to recoup some sort of funds for his services and allow the Frenchman the opportunity to chase first team football.
As much as it pains me Kieran Gibbs time at the club may be coming to a close. Gibbs was once touted as one of the most exciting defenders in the Premier League but his career has now completely stalled. With no way of breaking into the starting XI, Gibbs has now also lost his place on the English national team, missing the latest round of call ups.
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This summer Arsenal will have to put together a major squad overhaul in all three phases; attack, midfield and defense. Some tough decisions are going to have to be made and money will most certainly need to be spent. While the more glamorous signings may come at the attacking end of the pitch, Arsene Wenger cannot over look the work that needs to be done at the back as well.